The ecology of reproduction in reindeer/caribou (rangifer tarandus) - implications for population dynamics

驯鹿/驯鹿（rangifer tarandus）的繁殖生态学 - 对种群动态的影响

• 批准号: 327505-2006
• 负责人: Weladji, Robert
• 金额: $ 1.65万
• 依托单位: Université Laval
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=335192
• 关键词: ecology; reproduction; reindeer; caribou; rangifer

Determining the patterns and causes of variation in life history strategies is one of the main goals of ecology, as such variations shape both population dynamics and in turn the evolutionary biology of different species. In heavily managed large herbivore populations, evolutionary and ecological constraints are different from natural populations as the sex ratio and age structure is normally manipulated through harvesting. The resulting skews in sex ratio and age structure may have implications for life history strategies and in particular features related to reproduction; such as conception date, synchronization of the rut, conception rate and gestation length - parameters influencing timing and synchrony of birth as well as birth rate and birth weight. My aim is to investigate the role of male percentage and age structure on the ecology of rut in reindeer, and its implication for population dynamics. Specifically, we will examine (a) the influence of male proportion and age structure on the change in body mass of males and females reindeer during rut; (b) the influence of male proportion and male age structure on female activity during rut, and (c) provide insight on how the proportion of males and male age structure influence rutting behaviour and the synchronies of conception and calving in reindeer. The strength of this research resides in its use of an experimental approach by manipulating the composition of the male segment of the population, which is normally difficult to perform especially in large mammals in the wild. Since we address questions that are of interest both for theoretical ecology and management, the results of the study will be of great interest for management of harvested large herbivore populations worldwide. Indeed, given that most ungulate populations are harvested throughout the world and that in most cases, adult males are preferentially harvested, the results of this project may contribute to the development of new and more appropriate management strategies that sustain the long term productivity of the manipulated populations. The project will also contribute to the training of highly qualified personnel in behavioral and evolutionary ecology.

确定生活史策略中变异的模式和原因是生态学的主要目标之一，因为这种变异既塑造了种群动态，又反过来塑造了不同物种的进化生物学。在管理严密的大型食草动物种群中，进化和生态约束不同于自然种群，因为性别比例和年龄结构通常是通过收获来操纵的。由此产生的性别比和年龄结构的偏差可能会对生活史战略产生影响，特别是与生殖有关的特征，如受孕日期、发情同步、受孕率和妊娠长度--影响出生时间和同步性的参数以及出生率和出生体重。我的目的是研究雄性比例和年龄结构在驯鹿发情生态中的作用及其对种群动态的影响。具体地说，我们将研究(A)雄性比例和年龄结构对发情期间雄性和雌性驯鹿体重变化的影响；(B)雄性比例和雄性年龄结构对雌性驯鹿发情期间活动的影响；以及(C)雄性比例和雄性年龄结构如何影响驯鹿的发情行为和受孕与产犊的同步性。这项研究的优势在于它使用了一种实验方法，通过操纵种群中雄性部分的组成，这通常是很难执行的，特别是在野外的大型哺乳动物身上。由于我们解决了理论生态学和管理学都感兴趣的问题，所以这项研究的结果将对世界各地收获的大型食草动物种群的管理产生极大的兴趣。事实上，鉴于大多数有蹄类种群是在世界各地收获的，而且在大多数情况下，成年雄性种群优先收获，该项目的结果可能有助于制定新的、更适当的管理战略，以维持被操纵种群的长期生产力。该项目还将有助于培训行为和进化生态学方面的高素质人员。